Books come in all forms these days.  There are good old fashioned bound books.  There are digital books that play on all sorts of devices.  Finally there are audio books which also play on all sorts of devices.  This is my big problem.  I am "reading" one of each type of book at this moment!  Is that an addiction?  At the very least it poses a problem for me.  I'm not sure what to blog about!

I never leave home without my Sony eReader so, when I'm out and about or on my lunch break I read from there.  When I'm working out at the YMCA or running I usually listen to an audio book.  When I'm at home lounging around I'll pick up the old fashioned kind. 

Right now I'm reading two great books, one digital and one audio.  The traditional book isn't so great so I'll probably give that up soon.  As soon as I decide what is worth a blog post...I'll let you all know.

A wow book

When I finished reading "The Last Letter from Your Lover" by Jojo Moyes my only thought was...wow.  This book had everything that makes a story great and Moyes does a fabulous job weaving the tale together.  The main character is a woman named Jennifer Stirling.  She is in a terrible car accident and loses her memory.  The story is written in such a way that the reader gets bits and pieces of her life before and after the accident.  After the accident Jennifer tries to piece her former life back together using letters she finds in her house.  The book takes place mostly in 1960 but a portion of it takes place in 2003.  About half way through the book the reader is left wondering what became of Jennifer and her lover.  In 2003 Ellie Haworth, a journalist, discovers the letters and finishes the story for us. Ellie has her own problems and finds that she relates to Jennifer's story in so many ways. 

It was a "wow" book. I would highly recommend reading this book.  It has everything from mystery to romance.  Tragedy and happiness.  A very well written novel and I loved it!

There was no point

I have finished reading "Girls in White Dresses" by Jennifer Close.  My final conclusion is that there is no point to this book.  In the end all the girls are still pretty miserable in New York City and dating questionable men.  A couple of them improve their situations but none of them live happily ever after.  The main character was left undefined.  The story focused mainly a group of 3 or 4 women but had a lot of secondary characters too.  For a brief moment a secondary character would have her own chapter and then I would be left wondering what happened to her. 

In all fairness to the author she did keep me reading.  Her writing was very good and I enjoyed the way she described scenes or people.  However, I would not recommend reading this book.  It boils down to a lot of girls drinking too much and sleeping around.

 Stay tuned....my next book "The Last Letter from Your Lover" by Jojo Moyes.

What's the point?

Have you ever started reading a book and wondered what is the point of this book?  There are some books that have an obvious direction.  For example, when someone is murdered in the first chapter you know exactly where the book is headed.  Someone is going to try and solve the murder.  But what about those books that don't have a clear direction? 

I'm currently reading one of those books.  I find myself asking what is the point of this story?  The book is called "Girls in White Dresses" by Jennifer Close.  I am enjoying the book but I think part of it is the mystery of wondering how the book is going to end.  I feel like it has no direction.  I'm over 100 pages in and I don't know who the main character is.  At first I thought it was Isabella.  The first chapter is written from her point of view.  But the second chapter is written from Ellen's point of view.  And the third chapter by another character's point of view.  The author leaves you guessing who is talking and each chapter is not clearly labeled. 

Aside from character issues the story doesn't flow.  Each chapter has a name, such as "The Rules of Life" and "Summer Sausage."  It's almost as if each chapter is its own short story.  Characters make appearances in other chapters that are not written from their point of view.  As a group they are miserable women who live in New York City, drink too much and date questionable men.  I can only hope that each girl's story has a happy ending because right now I'm just sad for them.

I'll reserve giving a recommendation this book until I've finished reading it.  More to come on this.

Brand New

I've been kicking around the idea of a blog for a while now.  I was truly inspired recently when a family member started a blog of her own.  She loves movies and I love books.  Well, in all fairness she loves books too, but right now she is forced to love college text books the most.  I am mostly a reader of fiction: mysteries, thrillers and romance.  However, in recent years I've started to branch out.  Thank you Twilight for opening my mind to the other genres.  I've read several science fiction books now and even some historical fiction. 

I'm not sure what direction this blog will take.  My general idea is to talk about the book I'm currently reading.  Give some kind of feedback and maybe make a recommendation about if you should read the book or not.  I'm not big on getting in depth or theorizing about plots and characters.  I view reading as fun, a means of escape from real life.  I love to throw myself into the world of another and forget about the real world for a while.

Thanks for reading!